College volleyball: Great Falls drills Walla Walla
The University of Great Falls Lady Argos couldn't get ahead of themselves.
Not with how their last two matches turned out.
After his team dropped its first two conference volleyball games to Montana Tech and Lewis-Clark State College, UGF head coach Arunas Duda said it wasn't an option leading into their game with Walla Walla College on Wednesday night inside the friendly confines of the McLaughlin Center.
The Lady Argos, behind a team-high seven kills from freshman Cortney Shockey, dominated the Wolves from the get-go, 25-6, 25-15, 25-16, to roll into their biggest weekend to date with some much-needed momentum.
"Our starting group came out real fired up, ready to play," UGF head coach Arunas Duda said. "Looked pretty flawless in that first game. It was 25-6 and we had three or four service errors."
Duda said his team was disappointed with its results last week, and it didn't matter who it played against Wednesday. The Argos weren't looking past anyone and would be ready.
His team had a lot to prove, coming off two straight losses that could have gone the other way, Duda said.
"I just thought the chemistry was so much better tonight," said Duda, whose team moved to 10 -7 overall. "They didn't play nervous or anything too special. They kind of stayed within themselves and played the way they practice."
The Argos' passing, which Duda described as problematic at times throughout the season, was crisp against Wolves. Duda was also pleased with the aggressiveness that his team played with and how it kept attacking. The defense wasn't bad, either, as it blocked 11 shots.
"It's hard to point out one person, but it was nice to see our freshman lefty got in there and did a really good job, Cortney Shockey," Duda said. "She had seven kills in the match."
Junior Devon Bogart had two kills Wednesday, and she echoed the same sentiments that Duda did: The team was ready to play. The 25-6 first set confirmed it.
"We went out there loose and excited," Bogart said. "We really just brought our game and Argo volleyball and didn't look back."
Bogart and her team didn't trail once. They jumped out to big leads in all three sets. The game was only tied once; the Wolves knotted it at one in the final set.
UGF did face some adversity in the third and final set, only up 15-13 as the Wolves battled to stay in it, but the Lady Argos responded with five straight points to ultimately pull away.
"I think tonight was a big night for us," Bogart said. "Even though it was a smaller opponent for us, it was a big night to prove that we can come out on top and that we can be that assertive team that we have been practicing to be."
The Lady Argos now welcome in two tough opponents. On Friday, the Carroll College Saints, who are receiving votes in the polls, come to town. And on Saturday, the No. 1 team in the country, the Rocky Mountain Bears, visit the McLaughlin Center.
The Bears are 2-0 in Frontier Conference play and 13-2 overall. The Bears have a 6-foot middle blocker in Yang Yang, who has notched double-digit kills in every game this season, according to Rocky head coach Laurie Kelly.
"It's huge," Duda said of the upcoming weekend. "It's huge. Especially being 0-2 in conference. We desperately need a win, and I think the girls – I don't know if you could say they have a lot to prove – but I really think that emotionally and mentally they are ready to fight. It's going to be a big weekend, yeah."
Bogart said the upcoming match with the No. 1 team in the NAIA "is just another match in our gym." But they have to worry about the Saints first, she said.
"We are really pumped for it," Bogart said of the weekend matches. "I mean Carroll and Rocky are really worthy opponents. We've kind of been neck-and-neck for the past three years that I've been here. It's always a big weekend."
Great Falls def. Walla Walla University 25-6, 25-15, 25-16
Kills – Walla Walla 18 (Lexi Shanko 6), UGF 33 (Cortney Shockey 7). Assists – Walla Walla 18 (Alissa Casey 10), UGF 31 (Dani Norling 12). Aces – Walla Walla 0, UGF 5 (Dani Norling 2). Digs – Walla Walla 31 (Michaela Garcia 8), UGF 43 (Dani Norling 11). Blocks – Walla Walla 3, UGF 11.